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墨書 Inktalez
The abilities of people vary in strength, and the resentment of the Spirit Gods also differs in intensity. What everyone sees are the successful cases I have handled, but not all Spirit Gods can be dealt with in the same way. The stronger the resentment, the longer it has absorbed Yin Qi, and thus the more powerful the Spirit God becomes. Therefore, I do not take on every job, as some matters are simply beyond my capability. However, I have a very steady character, much like when I took on the task of mediating fights among junior high school students; I avoid cases involving fifth graders and above because I might not be able to handle them.
The reason for my cautious approach to business stems from an incident that occurred shortly after I became independent from my mentor. It was a profound lesson, and if it weren't for that wake-up call, I might not even know how I would have met my end.
Describing it as business is somewhat misleading because it wasn't about helping others; it was something that truly happened to me. Of course, I wasn't alone; three classmates experienced it alongside me.
This incident took place during my university years, before the Spirit of the Pen. University life was wild and carefree, and I thought of myself as a dragon while studying Daoist Techniques, when in reality, I was at best a mere worm—much like many friends who graduated with excellent grades and felt they were exceptional learners. They wandered into society only to discover that sometimes good grades are of little use compared to those who may have poorer results but are more adept at navigating social situations.
It was 2007, just before the start of my sophomore year, around late August during the Ghost Festival—what we commonly referred to as Ghost Day. Having planned a camping trip with a few classmates, we arrived at school early. We intended to visit Chibi before diving into the intense study life of our sophomore year.
On the morning before Ghost Festival, I arrived at school and met up with three classmates. We then took a train to Chibi. By the time we reached Chibi, it was already afternoon. We grabbed a bite in the city and then hired a van to head directly to the scenic area of Chibi. It was nearly forty kilometers from the city center, and the roads were rugged. By the time we reached our destination, night had already fallen.
Our destination was Chibi Mountain. Suddenly, while reading a joke in a book, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. You all continue your conversation.
To my surprise, they believed me and continued chatting without a care in the world. At that moment, I found it puzzling; it wasn't like we were broadcasting hosts with endless topics to discuss. But then again, I thought it might be better for them to keep talking so they wouldn't notice what was happening outside. They were oblivious to it all; however, Yu seemed to understand what was going on but didn't appear afraid—perhaps he thought that as a guy he should be brave like me. In truth, he just hadn't seen anything yet; had he seen it, he likely wouldn't have been so calm while joking with two girls. But I had no intention of letting him see.
Although they were still chatting without noticing anything unusual, it was only a matter of time before they would realize something was off. Waiting around like this wasn't an option either. Suddenly, I said that my abs were feeling uncomfortable and that I needed to step outside for a moment—asking them not to peek outside. With this statement, I was sure they wouldn't look outside anymore; at least those two girls wouldn't—after all, one must maintain their dignity.
I pulled out a bundle of Ink Fight Lines and several talismans, handing one protective charm to Yu before unzipping the tent flap to go outside. To my surprise upon opening it, there were two pairs of feet less than a meter away from me—white-soled black shoes that seemed both grounded and floating above the ground. Not daring to look up, I pretended nothing was wrong as I crawled out and casually tossed two talismans near their tent as I passed by. I wasn't sure if they would work but figured it was better than nothing. Then I feigned calmness as I walked down the path away from the tent.
I wanted to lead them away first but wasn’t certain if they would follow me or not; after taking seven steps out, I turned back to check. They indeed hadn’t moved; it seemed they were still listening to their conversation.
Could these two Spirit Gods really enjoy listening to others talk? Suddenly recalling Yu's suggestion about telling ghost stories when they applauded earlier made me think they might want to hear some ghost stories too. So I backed up—of course without turning around—and when I got close enough to their side of the tent, I shouted: "Don't talk about ghost stories! I've got plenty of ghost stories! I'll tell you later!" After saying this, I took off running without caring what they said.
After running seven steps, I glanced back to see if they were following me. Before even turning around fully, my peripheral vision caught sight of one Spirit God on each side sprinting after me—and their speed suggested they might overtake me. At that moment, whether out of pride or something else entirely, I treated this like a race and sped up even more.
I ran nearly a thousand meters down that narrow path leading downhill until glancing back showed them still pursuing me in long robes. Despite their speed, their clothing showed no signs of fluttering in the wind; illuminated by moonlight, their pale faces appeared calm with hollow eyes—not panting like me as if I'd just run like a dog.
But since I'd already led them away from the tent and had run so far, there was no need for me to keep going—and even if I ran until exhaustion set in, I'd never outrun them anyway—so I gradually slowed down until coming to a stop and crouched down on the ground gasping for breath.
Just as I crouched down, those two pairs of feet appeared right in front of me. However, I couldn't look up; if I did and they chose not to bow down before me first, I'd surely be caught by them in an instant. Without speaking or looking up, I thought perhaps they wouldn’t harm me—maybe because of those things on me—they couldn’t do anything after all.
Although they couldn't do anything to me for now, if they kept following me, once the Yin Qi gathered to a certain extent, the things I had would become less effective. Even if they couldn't possess me, they could still leave me covered in their cold claws.
Some friends might wonder, aren't you able to catch them? To cast spells, chant incantations, exorcise ghosts, scatter ashes, and summon the Five Spirits? Actually, at that time, I didn't have the Five Spirits; it was only later that my master helped me find an opportunity to obtain them. Secondly, during my escape, I had already recited the Exorcism Spell, but it didn't work. So, the useful things I had were very few—just a small bundle of Ink Fight Line and a few talismans. Moreover, at that time, my master hadn't yet taught me the Talisman.
Since the Exorcism Spell was of no use to them, those talismans without the Talisman seal were naturally useless as well. This further confirmed my suspicion that they were not Wandering Souls from the mountains but rather Spirit Gods that had escaped or gotten lost when the gates of hell opened in Yin Chai's hands.
They could evade Yin Chai and escape, which meant they had their own abilities. If they wanted to kill me, it shouldn't be difficult. So encountering such a probability felt like winning five million in the lottery; perhaps it was just my fate...
As I crouched on the ground, I thought about many things. However, I never imagined I would be killed. That innate confidence kept reminding me that there would always be a way out. Just as I was still figuring out how to respond, they began circling around me like two hungry wolves circling a lamb—not out of caution but simply to toy with me.
While they circled around me, I felt the Yin Qi growing heavier. Yin Qi is a chilling sensation, different from air conditioning. It was accompanied by a suffocating feeling and even a foul odor. Perhaps it was just my psychological effect, but I distinctly smelled something unnatural. My mind grew increasingly hazy as if some force compelled me to look up.
At this point, I couldn't care less about anything else. My lack of skill was my own fault; I quickly recited all the related incantations and performed various Hand Seals—even some Buddhist scriptures came to my lips. After some effort, my spirit seemed to improve a bit. I took out the Ink Fight Line and talismans; regardless of their effectiveness, I first used the Ink Fight Line to encircle myself and then scattered the talismans haphazardly on the ground before sitting down and muttering various incantations under my breath. To be honest, I almost knelt down begging them for mercy.
As a person—especially as a man—one cannot simply avoid difficulties; one must face them bravely. Limits are meant to be broken. A cornered rabbit can bite back; how much more so for someone who isn't even a rabbit? At that moment, I thought I must show my wild and fierce side—venting when necessary and roaring when needed.
Meow meow meow meow meow~~~
Although my thoughts were fierce, acting on them was quite difficult. I wanted desperately to stand up and fight them head-on with real weapons, but I knew deep down that I wasn't their match. Time passed without my notice; my mind began to drift again, and my thoughts felt uncontrollable. Looking at a nearby rock, for some reason, I felt an impulse to crash into it—a phenomenon known as being haunted by spirits or ghostly influence. Just like water ghosts can drown even skilled swimmers once they latch on to you; despite understanding this danger clearly, part of me still wanted to throw myself against that rock.
Fortunately, my willpower was strong and my body robust; coupled with continuous chanting of spells, I wasn't as easily influenced as an average person would be. Otherwise, in 2007 there might have been news in the Chibi newspaper about a tourist at Red Cliffs Summit who was suspected of committing suicide due to emotional distress.
Seeing that I hadn't succumbed yet, they began making their move on me. At this point, I realized those entities wouldn't hold back for long. Suddenly feeling something clawing at my back—due to wearing little in summer—the icy sensation felt all too real as if snakes were crawling over me. The most direct feeling was around my neck as if something were coiling around it tightly, making it hard for me to breathe.
Instinctively wanting to break free but unable to do so made me abandon meditation altogether. Grabbing the Ink Fight Line, I got up and wrapped it around my neck several times; that sensation of being grabbed by Spirit Gods vanished.
However, this didn't mean they were scared off or had left. Not caring about anything else anymore, I took off running for several hundred meters down the mountain but unexpectedly found myself back at that rock—the very place where I'd almost crashed into earlier! They really knew how to play tricks; even using walls against me—how bored could they be?
At this moment, however, those two Spirit Gods were no longer around me. Since I'd encountered a Ghost Wall now, things became easier for us. For ordinary people, breaking through a Ghost Wall could be as simple as smoking or urinating nearby; for us practitioners though, we had our own set of spells specifically designed for breaking Ghost Walls—taught directly by my master. I'm not sure if other sects have similar methods; combined with Hand Seals, it only takes a few seconds to break through.
After finishing Ghost Wall, I suddenly felt refreshed, as if the Yin Qi and oppressive feeling had almost vanished. I wondered if they had played too much or simply had enough, as I could no longer sense their presence. When I returned to the tent, Yu and the other two girls had stopped chatting. However, they were still awake, seemingly waiting for my return. There was no sign of Spirit God around either. I crawled inside and glanced at the time; it was already midnight.
I had heard that the gates of the Ghost Festival close at a quarter past twelve. I couldn't help but wonder if that was why they had left...
After returning home, I indeed fell seriously ill. I tried various exorcism methods and combined them with traditional Chinese medicine for quite some time before gradually recovering.
This experience was a nightmare for me, but also a wake-up call. During that period, I even considered giving up this line of work. My master told me that every profession carries certain risks, but one must learn to avoid danger. After that incident, my master passed on a Talisman to me, carved from Thunderstrike Wood. Placed on the talisman paper, its power greatly increased.
I suppose this was a trial for me. For a long time afterward, I felt lingering fear, but now that I think about it, it turned out quite well, and I even feel a bit grateful.
In life, one will inevitably encounter various difficulties and moments of despair. Some people feel they cannot go on after a breakup; others struggle with financial issues and feel exhausted. Some cannot bear the blow of losing their job; others feel overwhelmed by life's pressures.
But what do these troubles really amount to? Difficulties are merely temporary; every problem has a solution—it just depends on how much you can accept. If you've experienced heartbreak, just wait for your destined connection to come along. If you're short on money, you won't starve to death; if you lose your job, you can always find another one. The pressure of life is often self-imposed.
Worries are like a cup of water. When your heart is just a cup, worries seem infinite. But when your heart becomes an ocean, what does that cup of water's worry even mean?
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